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26TRCP

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Amber and Co.

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West Midlands
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Yolk Colour
Mar 10^th, 2010 at 2:09pm

A friend of mine used to keep hens and his birds used to produce the most incredibly rich orange coloured yolks. He always said that it was simply grass and corn that made them that colour. Sadly, we are unable to allow our birds to free range unless we are around but I wondered if there was anything natural we could feed them with to help the colour of the yolks. I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on the subject.

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BigBird Member Sinbinner Offline The Hens before the wife !!! Posts: 468 lancashire Gender:	Re: Yolk Colour Reply #1 - Mar 10^th, 2010 at 2:35pm any greens cabbage etc hang them up so they have to reach for them keeps them fit
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dottysue Member Sinbinner Online Dotty about Dottes Posts: 3597 Eastbourne Gender:	Re: Yolk Colour Reply #2 - Mar 10^th, 2010 at 2:36pm Dark green cabbage? I've also read that english marigolds (pot marigolds not french) can have an effect on yolk colour although I don't know how true this is.
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StephM

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Re: Yolk Colour
Reply #3 - Mar 10^th, 2010 at 10:42pm

I think your friend was right - green fresh grass and corn produce the best yolk colour. Plus insects & animal muck.

It's very difficult to reproduce the range of vegetation a free range bird will eat and my free range birds will not bother with cabbages etc. It's a problem when you need to restrict for security - possible compromise might be a run/ark that you could move onto fresh grass daily?

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Iwannabemargo Member Sinbinner Online Still devious............. ................. Posts: 6544 Sunny Cornwall Gender:	Re: Yolk Colour Reply #4 - Mar 11^th, 2010 at 1:12pm yes Sue, calendula petals are sometimes put in feed to add colour to the yolks 'margo
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Ladyplotter Member Offline I Love Practical Poultry Posts: 81 South Northants Gender:	Re: Yolk Colour Reply #5 - Mar 12^th, 2010 at 8:25am My girls won't touch cabbage-but they love brussel tops and blown brussels on the stem-but I do give them corn and they have lettuce as well-as they dont always have access to the wider garden.
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Annie9 Member Sinbinner Offline Posts: 1205 N Lincs Gender:	Re: Yolk Colour Reply #6 - Mar 12^th, 2010 at 8:50am My neighbour gave me a trailer load of blown brussels last week and my lot have been stripping them bare. If the above is true, the yolks should be a fab colour. A trailer load of brussels.........parp!
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Fuchsia

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Keep the eggs coming,
girls!

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Hampshire, UK
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Re: Yolk Colour
Reply #7 - Mar 12^th, 2010 at 9:31am

Mine have lovely colour yolks, and are fed on Garvo. The yolk colour gradually improved when I started them on Garvo, as it was very pale when I first got the hens. My friend, and the lady who supplies us, say the same. None of us are able to give the birds much by way of free- ranging, not that there's much available at the moment anyway. I'd be interested to hear if any other Garvo-users are pleased with the yolk colour (as well as shell quality.) My hens have been getting cabbage all winter, they prefer the soft white kind, and they like it cut up into strips. They also enjoy the stumpy bits if I cut these up into little pellet-sized bits. (Yes, I know you can do this for 3 hens but not for 30!)

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Em Member Sinbinner Offline I Love Practical Poultry Posts: 519 St Neots,Cambs Gender:	Re: Yolk Colour Reply #8 - Mar 12^th, 2010 at 6:12pm I would agree, since putting mine on Garvo a few weeks ago the yolks are a great colour. They have the fancy 714 pellets which are also good for yellow legs. Em
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SJP Member Offline I Love Chickens! Posts: 298 west bromwich Gender:	Re: Yolk Colour Reply #9 - Mar 12^th, 2010 at 6:46pm I've noticed that since mine have been on Garvo that the yolk colour has improved the shell colour seems to be more concistant to
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26TRCP Member Offline Amber and Co. Posts: 26 West Midlands Gender:	Re: Yolk Colour Reply #10 - Mar 12^th, 2010 at 8:17pm Good tips. Thank you. Never come across Garvo. Is it used as a supplement to layers pellets or a substitute for them?
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Em Member Sinbinner Offline I Love Practical Poultry Posts: 519 St Neots,Cambs Gender:	Re: Yolk Colour Reply #11 - Mar 12^th, 2010 at 8:39pm They do layers pellets, growers, chick crumb etc as well as other animal feeds. Alot of people swear by it: http://www.garvo.eu/ Em
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SJP Member Offline I Love Chickens! Posts: 298 west bromwich Gender:	Re: Yolk Colour Reply #12 - Mar 13^th, 2010 at 1:41pm this is the only supplier I've found in the West midlands they're at Blackheath at the back of Lidal or Aldi can't remember with it is http://www.sturmanscornandseed.co.uk/
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millhens

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Suffolk
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Re: Yolk Colour
Reply #13 - Mar 13^th, 2010 at 9:50pm

Fuchsia wrote on Mar 12^th, 2010 at 9:31am:

Mine have lovely colour yolks, and are fed on Garvo. The yolk colour gradually improved when I started them on Garvo, as it was very pale when I first got the hens. My friend, and the lady who supplies us, say the same. None of us are able to give the birds much by way of free- ranging, not that there's much available at the moment anyway. I'd be interested to hear if any other Garvo-users are pleased with the yolk colour (as well as shell quality.) My hens have been getting cabbage all winter, they prefer the soft white kind, and they like it cut up into strips. They also enjoy the stumpy bits if I cut these up into little pellet-sized bits. (Yes, I know you can do this for 3 hens but not for 30!)

I do!

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Lots of L/F: mainly croad langshans, barred rocks, orpingtons & FCB marans; a cat, two labradors, an OH & a working windmill.

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alandbailey

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I Love Practical Poultry

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Wells, Somerset
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Re: Yolk Colour
Reply #14 - Apr 3^rd, 2010 at 10:55pm

I buy reduced price brussel sprouts from the supermarket for my girls. They will eat them when cooked but prefer them raw. I use an old-fashioned Brabantia hand Auto-chop on them - that does the trick! Their yolks are a lovely colour. I have never wormed the hens but they get garlic granules several times a week and ACV in their water when I remember. Cat food goes down well!

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